The National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors, Inc. (NASADAD) “…purpose is to foster and support the development of effective alcohol and other drug abuse prevention and treatment programs throughout every State.” NASADAD has recently achieved this purpose by the development of the State Adolescent Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Practice Guide […]

The Center for Juvenile Justice Reform (CJJR) at Georgetown University‘s McCourt School of Public Policy has announced that the application window for the 2015 Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Juvenile Justice Certificate Program is now open through May 15, 2015.

The Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Juvenile Justice Certificate Program, held August 3-7, 2015, is an intensive training designed to support local jurisdictions in their efforts to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in their juvenile justice systems. The program is operated jointly by the Georgetown Center for Juvenile Justice Reform and the Center for Children’s Law and Policy.

Disparate treatment of youth of color as compared to white youth within the juvenile justice system; and

Unnecessary entry and movement deeper into the juvenile justice system for youth of color.

Through the examination of the key decision points in the juvenile justice system, the program’s curriculum provides participants a better understanding of the disparate treatment of youth of color may be experiencing as compared to white youth within the juvenile justice system.

The program will also focus on the relationship between disproportionality in the juvenile justice system and disparate treatment in other child serving systems, including child welfare and education.

After completing the program, participants will be responsible for the development of a capstone project – a set of actions each participant will design and undertake within their organization or community to initiate or continue collaborative efforts to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile justice system.

Visit the CJJR website where you will find further information about the program, including how to apply, tuition, and available subsidies for those with financial need. Questions can be sent to jill.adams@georgetown.edu.

Juvenile Justice Reform UN Report Faults Practices Common in U.S. Juvenile Justice (JJIE) The United Nations top investigator on torture has delivered a scathing criticism of juvenile justice practices common in the United States, including routine detention of youths, solitary confinement and sentences of life without parole for children. Florida Is By Far the Worst […]

The two-day summit—”The Time is Now: Creating Change with Young Emerging Leaders”—takes place July 23-24, 2015 in Washington, DC.

According to the event announcement, “these next generation leaders gain a better understanding of the current juvenile justice system, examine trending reform topics, and participate in various skill-building, hands-on activities.” Agenda topics include: juvenile justice 101; keeping young people out of adult courts, jails, and prisons; and positive youth development. Additional interactive activities will connect these young leaders with key influencers:

Hill Day on July 23, 1:30pm – 3:30pm ET – Attendees receive training on legislative advocacy, develop talking points, and visit their members of Congress or their staff to discuss juvenile justice reform and urge them to act on the issue.

Job Shadowing on July 24, 1:40pm – 3:40pm ET – Attendees will be matched with a juvenile justice professional who is working in a role/issue of their interest. Attendees will shadow the professional for a few hours to get a sense of what a career might look like in that field.

Help identify emerging leaders in juvenile justice, and encourage them to register for the 2015 Juvenile Justice Youth Summit. We can help foster the next generation of leaders who will ultimately impact the future of juvenile justice.

All participants that register during the early registration period or using the non-member rate will receive a complimentary CJJ membership.

CJJ has a room block reserved at The Liaison Hotel for $189/night. To make your reservation you can call (866) 233-4642 or click here. Please reference the “Coalition for Juvenile Justice” group when making reservations or provide the following reservation ID: 15CJJ.

Translational research is concerned with moving basic (“bench”) research to clinical and ultimately practical benefit (“bedside”). If research can in fact demonstrate beneficial outcomes, then it may even lead to policy changes. The Reclaiming Futures initiative, among other things, has sought to be a vehicle and a catalyst for doing just that — for translating […]

Photographer Richard Ross has sought to display this through images. Over the past eight years, Ross has visited more than 200 facilities in 34 states and been given rare access to interview and photograph more than 1,000 young people in detention.

Ross said most of the young females he interviewed had remarkably similar stories. Few had committed serious crimes, and many had been the victims of either sexual or physical abuse before their arrest…

The stories he’s heard have been heartwrenching. Among countless stories of physical, sexual and emotional abuse, one 14 year-old girl recounted being raped at age 3, another admitted to being suicidal.

When asked what surprised Ross most about his project, he didn’t hesitate: “How many times I’ve cried,” he said.

How Prison Stints Replaced Study Hall(Politico)In 2012, the U.S. Department of Justice filed suit to stop the “taxi service” in Meridian’s public schools, where 86 percent of the students are black. The DOJ suit, still unresolved, said children were being incarcerated so “arbitrarily and severely as to shock the conscience.”

Crime & Delinquency Council selects S.D. for ‘Pay for Success’(Times of San Diego)“NCCD strongly believes that Pay for Success creates a real possibility for sustained, positive change in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems,” said Kathy Park, acting president of NCCD. “We are proud to work with these three extremely dynamic programs to see if this innovative financing will work for them.

New Bill Would Change How Minors are Tried as Adults(News 4 Jax)A bill making its way through the state legislature would cut down on how often State Attorneys can charge juveniles as adults. Under the proposal, it would take a grand jury to charge anyone under the age of 13 as an adult. Prosecutors would only be able to charge 14 and 15 year olds as adults in cases of murder, manslaughter, and sexual assault.

Teens in Detention Centers Find Voice, Rehab in Youth Theater(Herald Media)On a small stage, seven local teens stood in scrubs — their backs to an audience of about 75. One by one, they turned around, each somber or angry or both as they told stories of juvenile lockdown and the reasons that got them there. Drugs, truancy, rules, respect, depression and decisions … each story is laced with regret — each author feels misunderstood — and most tell of trouble at home.

Medical College awards $250,000 to reduce youth alcohol, drug abuse(BizTimes.com)The Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin (AHW) Endowment awarded $250,000 over two years to reduce the prevalence of alcohol and other drug abuse among youth in northwest Wisconsin’s Rusk County. The Medical College of Wisconsin is the steward of the AHW Endowment as it works to catalyze health improvement within the state.

New Data: Ind. Teens Trying Pot More Often Than Alcohol and Cigarettes(WNDU.com)
Dr. Elmaadawi is concerned mainly for teen use. He says there is proven research marijuana can be healing to cancer patients and others suffering from chronic pain, but use for teens is dangerous. He says those who try the drug before age 18 are 67% more likely to continue using. The number drops to 27% for adults who try it for the first time.

We live in the information age. Reclaiming Futures sites and other jurisdictions engaged in similar focused reform efforts have access to information from multiple sources and disciplines such as: web-sites; journal articles, news; juvenile justice, behavioral health, psychology, sociology, education, social work, medicine and so on. So how do we critically assess these sources of […]